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The tall, thin man remained serene, his gaze unwavering despite the cacophony of noise from the surrounding cells.
He approached Arthur's cell, Sado Nath opening the iron gate for him.
"Greetings, Seabury D. Arthur. I am Vegapunk." He offered a simple introduction, stepping inside.
"Oh?"
Arthur's interest piqued. He had been eager to meet the scientist hailed as a genius five centuries ahead of his time. He hadn't expected their first encounter to be in Impel Down.
He'd been holding onto the Castle-Castle Fruit, waiting for a chance to acquire the secret of imbuing inanimate objects with Devil Fruit powers, to create his own storage device.
"I've heard of you, Dr. Vegapunk. So…what brings you all the way from the Marine Science Division to Impel Down? To see me?" Arthur asked, curious.
He doubted his strength alone impressed someone like Vegapunk—a man presumably dedicated solely to his research.
"I wanted to see the man who had unlocked the secrets of electromagnetism with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," Vegapunk explained calmly.
"And now you have. Any questions?"
Arthur, though lying on the floor, exhausted, met Vegapunk's gaze without a hint of subservience.
"That fruit—one of the strongest—I've long theorized it held the key to harnessing electromagnetism. If I had it…so many scientific breakthroughs would be within reach!"
"It's a shame you rejected the World Government's offer." Vegapunk's tone was laced with regret.
"It is," Arthur agreed, a smile playing on his lips. "So, what's your plan? Free me so I can become a lapdog for the World Government? Don't waste your time."
"Seabury D. Arthur, you're a prisoner, trapped in Impel Down. Don't you understand your situation?"
Before Vegapunk could respond, Sado Nath, his loyalty to the World Government absolute, bristled at Arthur's words. He wouldn't tolerate such disrespect towards his superiors.
Bang!
A foot—Vegapunk's—pressed down on Arthur's mouth, grinding his face against the floor.
It wasn't Sado Nath or Dragon who had reacted, but the scientist, normally indifferent to anything beyond his research...
His bodyguards were stunned by the outburst, so unlike their usually calm and collected superior.
Arthur—weakened by the Seastone—could only endure the humiliation, his eyes cold, his jaw clenched.
Suddenly, he felt something cold against his lips...
"Agent Sado Nath, there's no need to get upset over a prisoner. We've seen what we came to see. Let's go." Vegapunk straightened his white coat, turning to leave the cell.
"Hmph! Did you really think you could defy the World Government and get away with it?" Sado Nath sneered, following Vegapunk out, along with Dragon.
Deputy Warden Magellan—clutching his stomach and his face a mask of discomfort, led the way without a word.
"Dr. Vegapunk... back there...?" Sado Nath asked, confused by Vegapunk's uncharacteristic display of anger.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to shut him up. That fruit…the one I've waited for my entire life…eaten by someone like him…" Vegapunk's voice was calm, almost indifferent, as he offered a casual explanation.
Sado Nath considered the words, but finding nothing suspicious, he let it go.
Dragon remained silent, his eyes flickering with an unreadable expression.
——
"Hahaha! Arthur! Humiliated into silence? Where's all that arrogance now?"
"The kid's scared witless! Pathetic!"
The brief moment of camaraderie, of shared misfortune, vanished. The prisoners, their fear and frustration resurfacing, unleashed their mockery.
Arthur ignored them, lying in the dim cell, his mind reeling. He had never met Vegapunk before, had no connection to him beyond knowing his name.
Yet…
Arthur carefully lifted his hand to his mouth, retrieving a small, cold object—a piece of a saw blade.
As Vegapunk's foot had pressed down on his mouth, Arthur's rage had almost boiled over. But then he'd felt the cold metal against his lips—a subtle message—and he'd calmed himself, biting down on the object and pulling it free.
"What does he mean by this?" Instead of excitement, a cautious suspicion filled Arthur.
What was Vegapunk's game?
Why risk exposure by CP0 to help him? Such a gesture had to have an ulterior motive.
What did Vegapunk stand to gain?
"He's not on the World Government's side..." Arthur frowned, recalling snippets of information from his past life.
Vegapunk had once worked with Vinsmoke Judge, researching bloodline factors and gigantification serums.
And in his youth, his discovery of the "Lineage Factor" had made him a target of the World Government, deemed too dangerous. They'd arrested him, disbanded his research team.
But such a valuable asset couldn't be wasted. They'd recruited him instead.
A man with his own mind, however, surely yearned for freedom. Vegapunk wouldn't be content with constant surveillance.
And in the future—the Revolutionary Army would send Bartholomew Kuma, a top-tier fighter—to become a Warlord, allowing Vegapunk to conduct research and create the Pacifistas. There had to be more to that story.
Monkey D. Dragon—a Marine Vice Admiral, Vegapunk's bodyguard. Was it possible they had no connection?
Arthur suspected Kuma was the link between Vegapunk and the Revolutionary Army, a messenger.
Vegapunk, under constant surveillance, could only communicate through his research subjects.
"Dragon hasn't defected yet. Vegapunk wants freedom, but he can't act openly. Is that why he took this risk?" Arthur clutched the small saw blade.
That was the only explanation that made sense.
"You helped me. I owe you. If I ever get the chance, I'll return the favor." Arthur murmured, placing the saw blade back in his mouth, waiting for nightfall.
Darkness cloaked all sins...
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